Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A retired New York State trooper convicted of causing a crash that killed a Bradford woman in April last year is out of jail already. 69-year-old David O'Brien was sentenced on Wednesday to one to seven years in prison, but a judge has given O'Brien and his lawyer 120 days to appeal and released O'Brien from prison. In June, a jury found O'Brien guilty of vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and drunk driving for traveling the wrong way on Route 219 in Carrollton and hitting the car of 38-year-old Wendy Karnes head-on.

ME THANK YOU!!! By the way, I did tell a couple of people all I wanted for my birthday was a state budget deal. Ask and you shall receive.

A special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate circumstances at the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office since the death of Sheriff Dennis John last month. District Attorney Ed Sharkey says Wyoming County District Attorney Gerald Stout will handle the investigation. Sharkey says Stout will investigate things happening in the department, but not John's death itself. Neither he, nor acting Sheriff Timothy Whticomb would elaborate further.

It's not quite a done deal yet – but there is a state budget deal. Legislative leaders held a news conference this morning to announce the $27.9 billion spending plan. “Given the state of the economy, a lot of difficult choices had to be made in this budget,” said Lt. Gov. Joe Scarnati. “However, we were able to come to an agreement that meets our core principles of no broad-based tax increases, a budget that spends less than last year, and one that is sustainable. Senate Republicans said from the beginning that we were willing to negotiate as long as those parameters were met, and as a result we have a final document that recognizes the fiscal realities of Pennsylvania taxpayers.” The agreement includes a 25-cent-a-pack increase on cigarettes, delaying the phase out of the capital stock and franchise tax and implementation of table games at the state's casinos. Governor Ed Rendell has not commented on the spending plan yet, but House Speaker Keith McCall says he believes the g...

The St. Bonaventure and Olean-area communities are invited to a ceremony at 11:15 a.m. Friday in front of Plassmann Hall to commemorate the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. The University’s 9/11 memorial is in front of Plassmann, located on the west side of campus. The ceremony will honor the three University alumni killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center, as well as all the victims who died in Washington, D.C., New York and Pennsylvania that day. Robert Donius, vice president for university ministries, and Br. F. Edward Coughlin, O.F.M., vice president for Franciscan mission, will take part in the ceremony, along with students and members of the University’s ROTC unit.

A retired state police trooper found guilty of driving drunk in a crash that killed a Bradford woman in April of 2008 will spend the next one to seven years in state prison. In June, a jury found 69-year-old David O'Brien of Allegany guilty of vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and drunk driving. He was sentenced today The crash killed 38-year-old Wendy Karnes as she was driving on Route 219 in the Town of Carrollton. O'Brien was driving the wrong way on the highway and crashed head-on into Karnes' car. O'Brien and Karnes were both on their way to work at the Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca at the time of the crash.

With no state budget in place, area food pantries are still in dire need of help. Even with the recent successful food drives in the area, cupboards at the food pantries are practically bare. Donations can be dropped off at the YWCA and the Salvation Army.

A Cassadaga, New York, man is in jail after allegedly trapping a woman by the neck in a car window. Sheriff's deputies say 31-year-old Robert Austin got into an argument with a woman at the boat launch on Dale Drive in Pomfret. When she leaned into Austin's car to talk to him, he rolled the window up and trapped her, then drove from the parking lot, dragging the victim alongside his car. Austin unrolled the window after he got to the road. He's charged with reckless endangerment, unlawful imprisonment and harassment. The woman refused medical treatment.

A Beaver Falls man charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a 3-year-old boy who shot and killed himself last summer has been sentenced to 7 years' probation. 28-year-old Michael Cashdollar owned the gun that killed Trey Rosenberger in the living room of an Elk County camp. Cashdollar, Trey's mother and other adults were in the kitchen and dining room making breakfast on August 25 of last year when the boy apparently climbed onto a chair where Cashdollar laid the .44 Magnum. The toddler picked up the gun and pulled the trigger.

Twenty law enforcement and regulatory agencies will be on hand during the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s 27th Annual LEAF (Law Enforcement Awareness and Familiarization) Day on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The free program will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. Police vehicles will also be on display outside the Commons. Started in 1981 by then-Pitt-Bradford police chief George Barron, LEAF Day gives students, faculty, staff and the public the chance to learn more about these agencies through face-to-face contact, said Dan Songer, director of campus police and safety. “It also offers an opportunity to learn the requirements for a potential career with any of these agencies,” he said. Among the agencies attending are the Pennsylvania State Police, U.S. Forest Service, Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Enforcement, Pitt-Bradford Criminal Justice Program, Pitt-Bradford Anthr...

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has appointed Dr. Youmasu J. Siewe as the director of its Center for Rural Health Practice. “We are fortunate to have someone as knowledgeable and experienced in public health as Dr. Siewe join our staff to assist us in our service to the region,” said Dr. Livingston Alexander, president. “We launched a national search to find the most-qualified person for the position, and Dr. Siewe emerged as the unanimous choice of the search committee. “At a time when health is becoming a focal point in our discourse, Dr. Siewe is already applying his considerable knowledge to better understanding health concerns in our region, including our vulnerability to the H1N1 influenza.” Before coming to Pitt-Bradford, Siewe was director of public health education for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Regional Campus, where he set up an extensive public health education outreach program involving county he...

Longtime Buffalo Bills administrative assistant Bonnie Krauss has pleaded guilty to grand larceny for using the team's credit cards for personal purchases. The 50-year-old former Gowanda resident, who now lives in California, has turned over certified checks for the full $70,382 she embezzled. The judge told her she won't go to jail if she shows up for sentencing on December 4. The Bills fired Krauss last year after team audits showed she had been improperly using team credit cards from December of 2003 through May of last year.

A Kill Buck man is in jail after allegedly getting into a fight with a bartender at the Red Garter restaurant. Police say 31-year-old Amos Vogle was drunk and the bartender refused to serve him more alcohol. Vogle then allegedly took several swings at the bartender and hit his arms. Vogle is charged with attempted assault, criminal mischief and harassment.

An Olean man has been sentenced in connection with two separate indictments. Ronald Billingsley was sentenced to three years in prison for each conviction on drug charges. On September 25, 2007, in Olean, Billingsley attempted to sell crack cocaine. On October 22, 2007, he attempted to possess crack cocaine.

Olean and Eldred streets will be tied up on Friday as the movie "Unstoppable" films scenes from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Cameras will capture school children and their parents board a train at the Wayne Street crossing in Olean, according to James Mahathey, the film's location manager. The train will make its way from there to the crossing on Barbertown Road in Eldred. Traffic going over railroad crossings will be stopped for 10 to 15 minutes during the filming. Various police agencies will control traffic.

The McKean-Potter Counties American Red Cross Meals on Wheels program is looking for more volunteers to assist with various aspects of the meal preparations and delivery. Volunteer assistant cooks are need on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays to assist with the meal preparation. Assistant cooks would arrive at approximately 1:15 p.m. and would assist with final preparations, serving, and clean up, which would last until approximately 3:30pm. Also, a driver is needed for Mondays to deliver the meals. Drivers arrive at approximately 2:45 p.m. and delivering the route takes until approximately 4:45 p.m. Anyone interested in volunteering for the Meals on Wheels program, should contact the Red Cross office at 368-6197. A Red Cross provided background check is also required to volunteer for any programs.

Three Southern Tier bartenders are facing charges after allegedly serving alcohol to underage drinkers. 22-year-old Tracy Wangelin of Olean works at the Roadhouse Bar & Grill in Portville. 23-year-old Kristen Crowley of Olean works at Younger's City Limits in Olean. 39-year-old Anthony Adotta of Friendship works at the 3rd Base in Olean. All three were issued appearance tickets for City Court in Olean.

A Ridgway man is in jail for allegedly threatening to kill two people with a shovel Monday morning. Police say 44-year-old Dean Emerick went to an area behind the Summit Manor Motel on Route 219 with a shovel and threatened to kill Kathy Schlimm and Kurt Brennen, both of Ridgway. He then left the scene. Emerick was taken into custody a short time later at his apartment, arraigned on charges of terroristic threats, then sent to Elk County Jail.

State police are looking into the cause of a fire that damaged a Williams Street house late Sunday night. The two-story rental property is owned by Mike Simanowski of Bradford. Damage is estimated at $10,000. No one was home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. ~~~ State police say someone broke into a Russell City home and started a fire while the owner was away on vacation. The fire started at about 7:30 Monday night on Route 66 at the home of Charles Gibson. Damage is estimated at $85,000. Police are continuing their investigation.

A McSherrystown teenager is dead following an accident early this morning on Route 6 in Pittsfield Township at the Freehold Township line in Warren County. State police say that at about 2:30 this morning 19-year-old Kyle Aumen of New Oxford, PA, fell asleep at the wheel, causing his pickup truck to drive off the road, hit an embankment and a patch of trees. A 17-year-old year boy, who police did not identify, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say after blood testing at Warren General Hospital, Aumen was found to be driving under the influence. Police say more charges are expected

A Bradford man drowned in at Darien Lake Amusement Park Friday. Scuba divers found 33-year-old William Sutherland early Sunday morning in Sunshine Lake, a small body of water near a parking area. Authorities say Sutherland attended a concert at the park Friday night and got separated from his friends. His friends spent several hours looking for him, and reported him missing on Saturday.